It’s June 27th, I’m Gina Telaroli and this is TakePart.com’s look at the week in social action

Climatologist James Hansen spoke to the House committee on Global Warming yesterday.   His testimony is chilling and his message is clear: This is our last chance. If we don’t take drastic measures now,we wont be able to “defuse the global warming time bomb.”

The full report is a call to action- individuals can take great steps to lower our carbon footprint. But what we need now is action from our leaders:

Changes needed to preserve creation, the planet on which civilization developed, are clear. But the changes have been blocked by special interests, focused on short-term profits, who hold sway in Washington and other capitals….I argue that a path yielding energy independence and a healthier environment is, barely, still possible. It requires a transformative change of direction in Washington in the next year… CEOs of fossil energy companies know what they are doing and are aware of long-term consequences of continued business as usual. In my opinion, these CEOs should be tried for high crimes against humanity and nature...Democracy works, but sometimes churns slowly. Time is short. The 2008 election is critical for the planet. If Americans turn out to pasture the most brontosaurian congressmen, if Washington adapts to address climate change, our children and grandchildren can still hold great expectations.

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On a sweltering summer day, 20 years ago, climatologist James E Hansen warned Washington and the world that humans were warming the planet. And on today, Dr. Hansen will give a briefing to the House committee on global warming to say that “that it is almost, but not quite, too late to start defusing what he calls the ‘global warming time bomb.’” He will offer a plan for cuts in emissions and also a warning about the risks of further inaction.

takepart and read more about Dr. Hansen’s proposals

Related: Turning up the Heat on Climate Issue

Inconvenient Truth Updates:

Crews gain ground on wildfires in California (The Associated Press)

Weather Slows Rescue After Typhoon Sinks Philippine Ferry(New York Times)

Photo: James E. Hansen, a NASA climate expert, used a pair of cardboard dice 20 years ago to explain that humans were tipping the odds of harmful climate change by adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. He displays one die in his Manhattan office. From New York Times.